Grease-gun.



J. C. OLLARD.

GREASE GUN.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 12, 1914.

2 SHEETS'SHEET I.

Patented May 30, 1916.

VI/ZI/ML L0 L9 Q4 0-14 J. C. OLLARD.

GREASE GUN.

APPucmbN FILED OCT. 12. 1914.

lnowg (D. DP/urn JAMES C. OLLARD, OF TACOMA, WASHINGTON.

V GREASE-GUN.

Application filed Gotcha-12 To all whom it may, non/tern 1 Be it known that I, Janus C. OLLARIL a citizen of the l nited States, residing at Tacoma, in the county of Pierce, State of Vashington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Grease-Guns. of which the following: is a specification.

This invention relates to devices for handling grease or other heavy luhricatin; oils, and has for its objects to provide a device which can be easily and quickly filled without causing the grease to get smeared on the operators hands and in other undesirable places; which will feed out only such quantity of grease as may he desired; which is neat and simple in appearance; cheap to make and efi'ective in use. I attain these and other ohjects by the mechanisn'zs, devices and arrangements illustrated in the accom mny ing drawings, in which Figure l is a side elevation of my im proved grease fjllil; l ig. 2 is a plan thereof showing the gun opened for filling; Fig. 3 is an enlarged end elevation of the mechanism in the rear end of the gun, showing. the nuts disengaged from the feed screw. the rear cap having heen removed to reveal the said parts; Fig. 4 is a vertical longitudinal section of the said rear end; Figs. 5 and t; are plans thereof. showing respectively the parts in positions when the nuts are disengaged, and engaged, with the feed screw; Fig. 7 is a cross-section oi the gun on the line 7? in Fig. 1: Fig. 8 is a. longitudinal section of the front end thereof showing the loading hole closed; Figs. 9 and 10 are end elevations of the front end of the gun. on a smaller scale. showing: the locking nut in positions to allow the loading hole to he opened, and when locked, respectively; and Fig. 11 is a perspective side elevation of the piston and end of the feed screw.

Similar numerals of reference ref in similar parts throughout the several Views.

There are three main features to he provided for in a device of this class, namely, (a) a device which will allow the piston to he quickly withdrawn into loading positionv thus making room for new grease; (r71) a device for allowing the gun to he filled solidly without entrapping large air buhhles therein; and (n) a device for so closing and locking the filling hole that no grease may be forced therefrom when the gun is operated.

The gun consists of a cylinder 1 in which a piston 2 fits, said piston being adapted to Specification of Letters Eatent.

Pzitentgi Ma -so, 1916.

force the grease in the cylinder before it as it moves toward the front .or outlet. end. The piston is loosely secured to the end of a feed screw 3 by means of which it is moved in either axial direction. A yoke 4 is formed on the rearward side of the piston 12 and the screw 3 passes freely therethrough. A. pair of nuts 5 are screwed on and pinned to the screw 3. on each Side of the yoke 4, said nuts allowing a slightlongitudinal play of the yoke therchetween. thus permitting the piston to remain stationary while the screw is shifted slightly to engage the threads of the feed nuts, also allowing the screw to turn without turning the piston in the cylinder l. thus enabling the device to he easier operated than would he the case it the piston were fixedly secured to the end oi" the iced screw and turned therewith.

Referring now particularly to Figs. 1 to (3, inclusive, it will he seen that the feed screw 2?- pas. freely through the rear end of the r un and has a crossbar or handle 6 atta hed to outer end. The cylinder 1 is screwed into the end plate 7 (Fig. 4),

through a central hole in which the said feed screw freely passes. A complemem tary pair of half-nuts 8 are arranged on the outer side of the said end plate 7 on each side of the said hole through which the feed screw 3 passes. said halt' nut-s being suitahly threaded to engage the threads of the feed screw 3. Each of these half-nuts 8 is provided with :1 lug 9 extending upward therefrom. said lugs being arranged in adjacent; planes. A. pivot screw 10 passes through hoth of said lugs 9 about one-half way between the half-nuts 8 and the upper ends thereof. hy means of which said half-nuts 8 are supported and may be moved laterally away from or toward the feed screw 3. A spring 11 (Fig. 3) engages both the lugs 9 above the pivot 10 and tends to separate the half-nuts 8 thus freeing; the feed screw 3 therefrom. A wedgeshaped controlling slide 12 is mounted on and above theend plate 7 and passes between the upper ends of said lugs 9 and is so shaped that when it is pushed in its forward position (Fig. 5) the? said upper ends of the lugs 9 are forced toward each other by the said spring 11, hut when it is pushed in its rearward position (Fig. 6) the said upper ends of the lugs 9 are separated and the half-nuts 8 are thrown into engagement with the feed screw L against the action of the said spring 11. A.

' half-nuts 8- so that when they are in engagement with the screw 3 the rearward reaction thrust of the piston will be transferred through the nuts 8 to the lug 14. instead of through the lugs 9 and screw 10, thus relieving the said parts from strain which would otherwise tend to interfere with their free action. The hook lug 14 does not touch the feed screw 3.

A cap 15 fits on a shoulder on the outer side of the plate 7 thus forming a compartment in which the above mechanism oper-' ates. The cap 15 is cut away to allow the upper ends of the lugs 9 to pass therethrough and a supplemental hood 16 extends therefrom to cover the said-opening and the operating end of the slide 12. The feed screw 3 passes freely through the cap 15 as shown.

The'rear portion of the cylinder 1 may be inclosed n a supplemental protecting tube 17, scared to the edge of the end plate 7 and extending forward therefrom to a point near the middle of the said cylinder 1. This tube 17 is of substantially the same diameter as the plate 7 and has an enlarged forward end adapted to receive another protecting tube of the same diameter as hereinafter described.

Now one of the ditliculties in filling a grease gun through its orifice is found in the fact that large air bubbles are usually caught in the grease and, further, it is almost impossible to fill it Without smearing the grease on the hands and in other places,

so that it becomes a very disagreeable task. I

I overcome both of these difficulties by open ing up a large proportion of the side of the grease cylinder thus providing a large hole through which the grease may be easily and neatly passed. Referring now especially to Figs. 1, 2, 7 to 10. it will be seen that the cylinder l'has 'a long hole or slot cut in one side and extending from the point where the above described tube 17 ends to the outlet end of the cylinder. At this outlet end the cylinder is screwed into the outlet end plate 18 (Fig. 8). This plate 18 has a cylindrical extension formed on its outer side into which extension a nozzle 19 is screwed as shown. The above-mentioned slot or loading hole is filled by a correspondingly shaped plate 20 which completes the cylinder at this p int and which is provided with flanges 21 attending from its upper edges and engaging under guide strips 22 secured to the outside of the cylinder 1 and surto slide freely therepast (Fig. 9).

rounding the said slot on all the outlet side. K correspondingly shaped hole is made in the outlet plate 18 so that said plate 20 with its flanges 21 may he slid through the said hole in the end plate, thus opening the loading hole in the cylinder 1 thereby giving ample free space for loading the cylinder with grease. The joint between the cylinder 1 and the plate 20 may be made to fit quite closely so that the grease, in order to escape sides except from the cylinder 1 would have to pass between the said partsand then between the flanges 21 and" the outer surface of the cylinder, then around the edges of the flanges and between the flanges and the guide strips 22, and since all these parts are in close contact, it is practically impossible for the grease to escape therethrough. In order to insure against the grease escaping through the hole in' the end plate 18 through which the closing slide 20 passes, I have arranged a flanged 'nut (Figs. 8 to 10) screwed on the above mentioned cylindrical extension of the plate 18 and having a flange 24 adapted to press tightly against the outer side of the said plate l8 when the nut 23 is screwed home and so proportioned that in said position the flange 24 closes the hole in the plate 18 through which the said slide plate 20 passes, thus preventing any grease from escaping therethrough. A portion of said flange 24 is cut away (Figs. 9 and 10) in such position that when the nut 23 i released from said pressing position the said flange is removed from over the said hole in the plate 18, thus allowing the plate 20 v A stop 25 may be inserted in the outside of the plate 18 to engage the flange 24 to limit the motion of said nut '23 thus removal from the gun.

The diameter of the plate 18 is less than that of the plate 7, being equal to the inside diameter of the protecting tube 17. Another similar protecting tube 26 is secured to the inner end of the plate 20 by means of a filler 27 (Figs. 2 and 7) and suitable attaching screws, and fits in the above mentioned enlargement of the end' o f the tube 17 and extends therefrom over the plate 18. Suit able fillers 28 are secured to the cylinder 1 and hold the tube 26 in coaxial position. The tube 26 therefore moves with the plate 20.

If it is desi'ed, the outer protecting tubes 17 and 26 may be cnitted, from the gun, any suitable knob being secured to the plate 20 by means of which it may he slid to open the hole in the cylinder 1.

My improved device is operated as follows 1-1 11 order to fill the gun with grease, the knob 13 is pushed forward (Fig. 5) thus releasin the half-nuts 8 from the screw 3; then pufi back or the cross-bar 6, thus drawpreventing its ing the screw and piston 2 rearward and leaving a space in the cylinder 1 to receive the new grease; then turn the flanged nut 23 one-hall turn so that the flange 24 thereof is removed from in front of the plate :20; then push forward on the protecting tube 26 thus causing it to slide over the end plate 18 and carrying with it the closing plate 30, until. the tiller 27 engages the said plate 13 at which time the loading hole in the cylinder 1 is opened to its full capacity and is ready to receive the new grease (Fig. 2). The above operations are then reversed in order and direction. thus closing and locking the opening and placing the half-nuts 8 in contact with the screw 3. If however, the position of the screw 3 is such that the threads of the 1 nuts will not enter into engagement with the corresponding threads on the screw it only necessary to slightly move the screw axially is allowed by the pla) left between the nuts 5 and the yoke 4' of the piston) or slightly turn the screw until threads engage. To feed grease from the gun it is then only necessary to turn the crossbar (3 and screw 3 the desired number of turns.

Having described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In a grease gun; the combination with a cylinder having a suitable open orifice; a piston fitting therein and adapted to force grease from the cylinder through the ori fice thereof; a feed screw connected to said piston; a pair of lugs pivotally mounted on the end of said cylinder; complementary half-nuts mounted on each of said lugs and adapted to be moved into or out of engagement with the thread of said feed screw; a spring engaging said lugs whereby said half-nuts are disengaged from said feed screw; and means engaging the ends of said lugs whereby said half-nuts may be moved into such engaging positions.

2. In a grease gun. the combination with a cylinder having a suitable open orifice; a piston fitting therein and adapted to force grease from the cylinder through the orifice thereof; a feed screw connected to said piston; a pair of lugs pivotally mounted on the end of said cylinder; complementary hall'- nuts mounted on each of said lugs and adapted to be moved into or out of-engagement with the thread of said feed screw a spring engaging said lugs whereby said half-nuts are disengaged from said feed screw; and a sliding wedge engaging the ends of said whereby said half-nuts may be moved into such engaging positions.

In a grease gun the combination with a cylinder; an outlet plate secured thereto and having a suitable open orifice therethrough; an opening in the side of said cylinder through which it may be filled; a closing plate completing the form of said cylinder and slidably mounted thereon whereby said opening may be closed; guiding means engaging the plate and adapted to retain it in position when internal pressure is applied thereto; a passage through said outletplatc ci'irresponding with said closing plate in shape and position; and removable means for closing said passage.

4. in a grease gun. the combination with a cylinder; an outlet plate secured thereto and having a suitable open orifice there through; an OfKlllXlg in the side of said cylinder through which it may be filled; a closing plate completing the form of said cylinder and sli'lubly mounted thereon whereby said opening may be closed; guiding means engaging the plate and adapted to retain it in position when internal pres sure applied thereto; a passage through said outlet plate corresponding with said closing plate in shape and position; and a flanged nut screwed on said outlet plate and having a portion of the flange cut away, whereby said passage is closed when the nut screwed home but is open to allow the closing plate to he slid therethrongh when the nut is slightly unscrewed.

In a grease gun, the combination with a cylinder; an outlet plate secured thereto and having a suitable open orifice therethrough; an opening in the side of Said cylinder through which it may be filled, a closing plate completing the form of the cylinder and slidably mounted thereon whereby said opening may be closed; and a protecting tube surroumling said cylinder and axially slidable thereon and secured to said closing plate whereby it may be slid in Said.

opening.

. JAMES C. OLLARD. \Vitnesses A. M. RICHARDS, WM. OLLARD. 

